SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER 2008
You are listening to ZS6SRL, the official Radio Station of the South African Radio League, the National Body for Amateur Radio in South Africa, with a news bulletin transmitted every Sunday at 08:15 CAT in Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a webstream, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow the links for details. PLEASE NOTE: for audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.
You can download this, and previous bulletins from www.sarl.org.za and subscribe to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
Your news reader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from Pretoria, with relays on 28,325, 14,235, 10,130, 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB, as well as 51,400, 438,825 and 1 296 MHz FM in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
In the news today:
JOIN THE SARL AND PAY ONLY FOR SIX MONTHS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER RADIO ZS IN THE MAIL
NOMINATIONS FOR SARL AWARDS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these, and other important and interesting news items.
JOIN THE SARL AND PAY ONLY FOR SIX MONTHS
If you are not a member of the SARL we invite you to join now and pay only half the annual fee for six month's membership till the end of June 2009. We will also send you the November/December edition of Radio ZS as a bonus. In June you will receive a renewal invoice for the following year's membership.
This offer is also open to radio amateurs who did not renew this year and who were taken off the membership database at the end of September. Your joining date will, however, be recorded as 1 January 2009. Unfortunately you will loose your previous membership record and will have to apply as a new member by completing the membership form on the web at www.sarl.org.za. You will also receive the November/December edition of Radio ZS as a bonus.
The six-month membership fee is R170. Call Vee weekdays between 09:00 and 13:00 to have an application for membership form e-mailed or faxed to you together with banking details. The number is 011 675 2393. All the details are also available at www.sarl.org.za. Click on membership.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER RADIO ZS IN THE MAIL
The November/December edition of Radio ZS was mailed on Thursday and is now also available on the web at www.sarl.org.za.
It is another edition full of interesting reading material and projects. Read about the first 4 metre meteor scatter contact achieved by ZS2ACP and ZS6NK. Build an audio/RF DDS signal generator with Christo Pelser, ZS6AHQ. Christo won the 2008 SA Amateur Radio Development Trust construction competition. Build a PIC-based radio beacon with ZS1PR. Explore modern packet radio with ZS6BNE or build a multiband vertical antenna with ZS6KMD. For easy reading look back into history or find out about activities in museums. All this in the latest edition of Radio ZS.
If you are not a member yet, and would like to sample a copy of Radio ZS, send an e-mail to armi@sarl.org.za with Radio ZS in the address line and we will show you what you are missing.
NOMINATIONS FOR SARL AWARDS
Members and clubs are invited to submit nominations to the Council for the following SARL awards:
Honorary Life Membership – the SARL's highest honour.
Willie Wilson Gold Badge
Awarded by the Council to the amateur who gave exceptional and meritorious service to the League.
Jack Twine Award
To recognise qualities such as consideration, clean operating procedures and a genuine interest in Amateur Radio and its affairs. This prestigious Award will be made to Amateurs who, in the opinion of their fellow amateurs and the League's Council, exemplify the qualities desirable in a Radio Amateur.
Arthur Hemsley 2 metre Trophy
Awarded by the Council to a Radio Amateur for his/her individual achievements with transmissions in the 2 metre amateur band. This award is bestowed for extraordinary performance on EME or other modes, such as tropospheric propagation. It is not for the longest distance worked but rather for persistence in achieving something special on 2 metres.
Barney Joel Trophy
Awarded by the Council to any member of the SARL for the best performance during the year whilst working HF mobile. This award could be made for performance by an individual in a rally or other public event communication, etc.
Icom Excellence Award
This award is bestowed annually by the Council on the amateur who through his/her activity in the Amateur Service has brought international recognition to South Africa by either the achievement of a VHF/UHF long distance record which is internationally acknowledged by the IARU, or by service to the Republic of South Africa, or the SARL, in the field of scientific research using the amateur spectrum, or in promoting the amateur service internationally or as the Council may determine from time to time.
Joseph White Plaque
Awarded by the Council to any member of the SARL for exceptional achievements in the 432 MHz band during the precedent year. This is not awarded for the longest distance worked, but for all-round achievements.
Bert Buckley Six metre Trophy
Awarded by the Council to any radio amateur for his/her individual achievements with transmissions in the six-metre amateur band. This award is not for the longest distance worked but for outstanding effort or activity on six metres.
HELP US TO REACH 1 400 MEMBERS BY THE END OF DECEMBER
The current membership of the SARL stands at 1 359 which is just 41 short of the 1 400 target for the end of December. Help us to reach that target by encouraging your friends to join. This week we welcome the following new members and wish them a long and beneficial association with the SARL:
ZR1AA, Patrick Yeadon
ZR2GEC, G. Currin
ZR6ALG, Tony Vice
ZS6L, Johann van Rooyen
ZS6TMV, Frank van Wensveen
ZU6P,JL Pieter Le Roux
ZU6M, Mitchell Mynhardt
ZU6MM, Melinda Mynhardt.
CONTEST NEWS
The Sasolburg Radio Club, ZS4SRK, announced the results of the Blockhouse sprint for 2008. The results are:
1st ZS4JAN, Jan Botha – 354 points
2nd ZS6PTA, Pretoria Amateur Radio club – 176 points
3rd ZR5PO, Jo Snyders – 174 points.
Congratulations!
Certificates and Plots of contact obtained will follow soon
The 38th Hunting Lions in the Air will take place over the weekend of 10and 11 January 2009. The rules can be downloaded from www.sarl.org.za.
The PEARS VHF/UHF contest will take to the air on Friday 16 January 2009. The contest is run in two sessions, the first from 18:00 CAT on Friday to 16:00 CAT on Saturday, the second session from 16:01 on Saturday to 14:00 CAT on Sunday 18 January. Activity takes place on 6, 4 and 2 metres and on 70 and 23 centimetres. The rules can be found on the PEARS web site.
SARL HF Field Day.
The first leg is scheduled for the weekend of 14 and 15 February 2009. The Saturday is Valentines Day. Must the date be changed? 7 and 8 February is the AWA CW Activity and 21 and 22 February is the ARRL International CW Contest. Send an e-mail to hfcontests@netactive.co.za and indicate which weekend suits you.
INVITATION TO JOIN THE YOUNG AMATEUR RADIO CONTEST TEAM
After browsing the Net for youth-related ham radio websites, Andries, ZS6VL, met Ed, KG8CX. Ed is the founder of Y.A.C.H.T, The Young Amateur Contest Ham Team, and is actively involved in recruiting young radio amateurs at the K8DAR station in Menominee, Michigan. Y.A.C.H.T has extended an invitation to young SA amateurs to join them, and the first international members are Mitchell, ZU6M, and Melinda, ZU6MM. It is the hope of the Sasolburg Amateur Radio Club, ZS4SRK, that this new relationship between young radio amateurs in the US and SA may be fostered and built upon. Thanks to Ed and his team for the kindness and amateur radio spirit they have shown. Visit www.qsl.net/zs4srk/youth.htm for more information, and please be sure to tell young radio amateurs!
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly at quiet levels. The expected Effective Sun Spot Number for the coming week will be less than 5.
15 and 20 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a possibility of 15 and 20 m openings towards India from about 14:00 and 18:00 CAT respectively. Short contacts with New Zealand will be possible on 15 m at 08:00. At 8:00 and at 14:00 weak 20 m contacts may be possible with Australia. From 14:00 weak contacts with Peru may be possible on 15 m followed by possible weak 20 m openings. Brazil may be worked on 15 m from 12:00 and on 20 m from 19:00. From 16:00 there may be weak 15 and 20 m openings towards Europe. Contacts with the USA East Coast are possible on 15 m from 20:00 and with the West Coast after midnight on 20 m.
10 MHz is looking promising late afternoon and after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
Local conditions will be good on 40 m during daytime. 80 m may perform well during the early mornings and late afternoons over the shorter distances, e.g. between ZS5 and ZS6. 30 m may perform well during the middle of the day between ZS6 and ZS1. Even 20 m may perform well over the longer distances before morning tea time.
80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings. With summer here the thunderstorms and static conditions may be challenging.
Remember that this is only a prediction and that HF always may always surprise you, but you will never know unless you switch your rig on, listen and also call CQ.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
16 December – PIC course in Port Elizabeth;
10 and 11 January- :Hunting Lions on te Air;
16 to 18 January – PEARS VHF-/UHF-competition;
31 January 2009 – Last day for submission of motions and agenda items for 2009 SARL AGM.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news items – if possible in both English and Afrikaans – to www.sarl.org.za/newsinbox.asp, not later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date.
The SARL also invites you to listen to the programme Amateur Radio Mirror International, on the air every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 590 kHz. For the webstream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on 'ARMI' and follow the links. A repeat transmission can be heard Mondays at 21:00 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Sentech sponsors the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.
George, ZS6NE, compiled today's South African Radio League news bulletin and was edited by Jannie, ZR6PHD.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
